Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Russia would use nuclear weapons near the Scandinavian and Baltic states if Sweden and Finland acquire NATO membership.
Medvedev had also served as the deputy chairman of the Russian security council from the period – 2008 to 2012. If Finland and Sweden, were to join NATO, Russia’s land border with NATO will double, and it would mean that Russia will have to reinforce those borders, Medvedev wrote on Telegram, the messaging app.
He added that “in this case, it would not be possible to talk anymore about the Baltic-Non nuclear status. The balance has to be restored,” showing how Russia would be entitled to nuclear weapons in the lining areas. The former president stated that Russia will “seriously enforce its group of ground forces and air defenses and deploy significant naval forces in the Gulf of Finland.” Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov also talked about how Russian President Vladimir Putin would reinforce the western flank due to the growing influence of NATO in the region.
The spokesman of the US State Department when questioned said that NATO is an open door and there should not be concerns regarding the expansion of the alliance without speaking to the particular country.
The Russian onslaught on Ukraine has changed the public opinion about joining NATO, an organization founded to balance and counter the Russian power. The European public is more in support of their countries joining the NATO alliance. Finland and Sweden have long followed the policy of non-alignment and have expressed interest in joining NATO. Finland officially stated that it is carefully considering joining the NATO alliance in a few weeks and Sweden is in talks about getting a membership.
Russia is against the expansion of NATO across its borders
Russia has one of the largest numbers of nuclear warheads along with hypersonic missile technology at par with the United States. The ‘special military operation’ Russia has conducted in Ukraine has prompted many European countries to reconsider their military policies and alliances, with more and more countries being interested in joining the NATO alliance.
Published by: Aditya Negi
Edited by: Aaradhana Singh
